Campione: Strongest# 427: A Cornered Rabbit

“A cornered rabbit will always bite...”

Haru muttered, looking down at the small hole in his knit shirt where she’d stabbed him. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

He’d known from Nyarlathotep that the secret art required him to be within a five-meter radius of Shiki. That meant he’d be stuck to her side for a while.

But even lovers rarely spent that much time together.

His relationship with Shiki wasn't even at the level of friendship. He was, at best, a persistent suitor, and she was thoroughly annoyed by him. That was about the state of it.

With someone as cold and distant as Shiki, there were no weaknesses to exploit, no openings to get close. He was completely at a loss.

So, if he had to spend a long time with her, a blatant, in-your-face stalking was his best option.

‘If I don’t know how to get along with you, then I’ll just force you to get used to me.’ With this mindset, he had begun his plan.

Of course, the prerequisite for such a plan was to be overwhelmingly stronger than the target. Otherwise, the knife to his heart just now would have ended in a real, bloody mess.

“So far, so good, I guess,” Haru murmured to himself, watching the panicked rabbit fleeing before him.

First, he’d make her realize that no matter what she did, she couldn’t escape him. Then, he’d just blatantly stick to her side. To put it bluntly, he was being a shameless bully, relying on his strength.

“Time to go.” Seeing Shiki, who had already reached the alley entrance, Haru, with a wicked grin, lifted his left leg and, in a single step, was once again right behind her.

———

With her keen perception, Shiki immediately sensed the abnormality behind her. She turned her head and, seeing him right there, her usually cold face was filled with a clear panic.

She had just stabbed him in the heart, and now, the victim was relentlessly pursuing her. How could she not be panicked?

On the bustling street, many pedestrians looked at the two figures—one chasing, one fleeing—with confusion. After all, what kind of pervert would be so brazen as to commit their crimes in broad daylight?

“Hmm? She’s not calling for help?” Haru, following behind her, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Shiki, who was running, didn't speak. To talk during such strenuous exercise would only waste a large amount of her stamina. She still needed to conserve her strength to escape his clutches.

As for his question? In her view, there was no need to answer. A body that couldn't be pierced by a knife… calling for help would only lead to the deaths of innocent people.

Though she had a murderous impulse, she wasn’t so wicked as to blatantly harm others.

“So kind,” Haru said with a grin, having already guessed a part of her thoughts.

Shiki’s breathing became ragged. Even with her controlled breathing, her stamina was reaching its limit. Her legs grew heavier, and each breath was like swallowing fire, a burning sensation searing her throat.

Her pace began to slow.

Sensing this, Haru’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “Your stamina isn't holding up, is it, my cute little rabbit?”

Her eyelashes were already matted with sweat. Sensing her vision begin to blur, Shiki tightened her grip on the short sword hidden in her sleeve.

Knowing she was no match for him, and that it was highly likely she would be captured and killed, she abandoned her convictions and sought help from her other self.

‘I’m counting on you.’

Her black, onyx-like eyes suddenly went blank, and then a bright, sharp light welled up from their depths.

“Ugh.” Taking control of the body in the real world for the first time, the other personality, SHIKI, cried out in frustration.

The original Shiki thought that her homicidal, yang personality had a higher combat power than her.

But what she couldn’t accomplish, how could SHIKI? They shared the same body!

Besides, SHIKI knew very well that the one with the true homicidal nature was the original Shiki. He was the pragmatic one!

“Huh?” Haru looked at Shiki with a surprised expression. Her sudden outburst had startled him. The abrupt change in demeanor left him a little confused.

That slightly puzzled voice, in SHIKI’s ears, was like a death knell.

She didn't dare to stop running. She just stole a panicked glance at the figure beside her.

Sensing this, Haru’s lips curved into what he thought was a handsome, wicked smile.

SHIKI’s body trembled, and she ran even faster; it became a desperate sprint for her life.

Suddenly, her pupils constricted, and a look of joy flashed across her face.

She pivoted and, with a thirty-degree turn, ran into a black-and-white shop on the right.

The shop was about seventy or eighty square meters. Most of it was taken up by a large living room, with a small section filled with several black office desks. Behind a pile of these desks, four young men in light blue uniforms were sitting, either talking and laughing or dealing with documents, looking very orderly.

SHIKI, who had pushed open the glass door and rushed into the shop’s lobby, felt a wave of relief.

Her sudden entrance immediately drew the attention of the four men. Four pairs of astonished gazes focused on her. Before they could speak, SHIKI took a few deep breaths, forcibly calming herself. Then, she centered herself and suddenly erupted.

The next second, a sharp and mournful cry echoed.

“Officer, there’s a pervert chasing me!”

Haru stood at the entrance. Hearing the desperate cry from the lobby, he looked up with a bewildered expression at the sign above.

On the sign, the Japanese characters for ‘Police Department’ were clearly visible.

“I may have encountered a fake Ryougi Shiki...” Haru said, his lip twitching.